Water-borne transport and dispensing vehicle



Jan. 11, 1966 P, BECKER 3,228,539

WATER-HORNE TRANSPORT AND DISPENSING VEHICLE Filed Aug. 6, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 PAUL BECK ER Jnvenfor:

AGENT.

Jan. 11, 1966 P. BECKER 3,223,539

WATER-HORNE TRANSPORT AND DISPENSING VEHICLE Filed Aug. 6, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 PAUL BECKER Jnvenfar:

AGENT Jan. 11, 1966 P. BECKER 3,228,539

WATER-BORNE TRANSPORT AND DISPENSING VEHICLE Filed Aug. 6, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 0 f I N c; v s i 11" 11a PAUL BECKER Jn van/0r:

AGENT Jan. 11, 1966 BECKER 3,228,539

WATER-BORNE TRANSPORT AND DISPENSING VEHICLE Filed Aug. 6, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1 1 HR Hq PA UL. BE C K E R INVENTOR.

AGENT United States Patent 3,228,539 WATER-EEQRNE TRANSPORT AND DISPENSING VEHICLE Paul Becker, Am Stafflingshof 9, Gelsenkirchen, Germany Filed Aug. 6, 1963, Ser. No. 300,262 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 9, 1962, B 63,355; Dec. 22, 1962, B 713,128 Claims. (Cl. 214-) My present invention relates to water-borne transport and dispensing craft of the type generally employed for the transportation of bulk material to a submerged ground area which is to be covered by the bulk material in order to stabilize it.

It is current practice to reinforce and secure the banks and shoal lands of rivers, lakes and coastal waters by the deposition along these submerged and tidally exposed areas of heavy bulk mineral material (e.g., stone and the like) which holds the sands from shifting. This technique is particularly employed for the reinforcement of so-called coastal strips and for embanking waterways. The stones may vary in size from several kilograms to several hundred kilograms depending upon the purpose, and are usually distributed either in a broadcast (i.e., random) manner or in masses at predetermined locations. In either case, earlier methods of reinforcing shore strips and tidal areas have involved exceptionally costly steps requiring a large expenditure of heavy labor. Thus, in one earlier technique, the stones, which can be of irregular or regular configuration, are loaded upon barges, punts, or the like at a landfall and are carried on the water-borne vehicle to the region at which the stones are to be deposited, the vehicle being towed by a tug boat or other self-powered craft. The barge is then anchored and the bulk cargo cast over the side, generally by hand. When a long coastal strip is to be covered, the craft may be required to carry a deck load of about 100 tons of the bulk material, necessitating several days for its dispersal and a labor force of 6-8 workers. In an effort to reduce the expenditure of labor, the barge was frequently accompanied by an auxiliary craft provided with an unloading crane whose bucket generally had a capacity of about 1 ton. In many instances, however, this bucket had to be filled by hand so that no labor saving resulted. Another disadvantage of this technique was that the crane invariably discharged each load at a single location so that a uniform covering of the coastal strip was impossible.

In another craft designed to avoid high labor cost, a plurality of tiltable bulk-material bins were provided on the deck (i.e., above the water line) and were swingable into a position wherein they could discharge their contents over the side of the ship. While this technique may, at first glance, be considered satisfactory, it was found that the deposition of the stones immediately adjacent to hull of the ship required that the latter approach closely those shoal Waters in which the stones were to be dropped. This was difficult, if not impossible, for conventional round-bottomed water craft especially when low depths were encountered. Every attempt to eliminate this disadvantage by providing hulls of triangular or trapezoidal cross-section failed since the massive load of the bulk material above the water line raised the center of gravity of the loaded ship so high as to render it unstable unless considerable ballast was provided in the hold. Moreover, complicated reinforcing was required for the underwater portion of the hull since there was frequent contact with the submerged banks and coastal strips when tiltable bins of the character described were used, the ship frequently damaging the submerged ground area. This method frequently resulted in the rolling of some of the stones into the path of the ship and limited its forward motion.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for the water-borne transport and dispensing of bulk material wherein the aforementioned disadvantages are avoided.

Another object of this invention is to provide a craft for the controlled distribution of stones and the like along embankments, coastal strips and other areas bordering bodies of water which permits the transport of large quantities of the bulk material, is stable, and can effect the discharge of the bulk material at predetermined locations along the submerged ground to be covered.

These objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are attained, in accordance with the present invention, by a water-borne vehicle for the deposition or dockside bulk delivery of materials such as stone, coal, ores and like flowable solid cargoes, which comprises an elongated floating hull whose cargo area lies at least partly below the water line and receives at least one but preferably a plurality of cargo-storage receptacles below the water line and disposed alongside a longitudinally extending conveyor means likewise located below the water line. This main conveyor means advantageously feeds a lift means at one of its extremities whereby the bulk material is brought to or above the deck (i.e., above the water level) and deposited over the side of the hull, advantageously with the aid of an auxiliary conveyor means mounted upon the deck and extending over the side of the hull. Means, preferably of the fluid-responsive type, is provided for each cargo-storage receptacle for tilting it so as to discharge its contents onto the main conveyor means. A principal advantage of this structure derives from the fact that at least the major portion of the mass of the bulk cargo can be received below the water line. thus giving rise to a ship whose low center of gravity lends itself to high stability and permits the use of a flatbottomed hull. Moreover, the auxiliary conveyor means, which can extend transversely to the main conveyor means, can deposit the bulk material at a distance from the side of the vessel so that there is no danger of damage to the hull of the latter when work is carried out in shallow waters although the shallow-draft hull of the latter permits work close to the shore line. When the term main conveyor means is utilized herein, it is intended to designate both a single, longitudinally extending conveyor or a plurality of adjacent conveyors of this type.

According to a further feature of this invention, at least two rows of cargo-storage receptacles are provided, one row along each of the lateral edges of the main conveyor means, the receptacles being successively tiltable to discharge their contents by means, for example, of hydraulically operated piston and cylinder arrangements. It should be noted, however, that other tilting means can also be used.

Still another feature of this invention resides in the use of a passive or active auxiliary conveyor means which is swingably mounted on the hull for rotation about a substantially vertical axis between positions wherein the conveyor means extends over the port and starboard sides of the hull. This swingability permits deposition of the stones at any desirable location with respect to the craft and advantageously can occur over an angle in excess of about 250 so that the auxiliary conveyor means swings out over the bow or stern of the ship, depending upon which end of the main conveyor is the outlet. Advantageously, the auxiliary conveyor means can be swingable through a full 360 or at least to such an extent that it can be disposed amidships when the ship is traveling to or from the location of discharge. Moreover, this auxiliary conveyor, which as previously noted preferably extends transversely to the main conveyor means, is longitudinally extensible in step with the conveyance of the bulk material thereon so that the cargo is distributed progressively and uniformly in a direction transverse to the major dimension of the ship. The means of effecting longitudinal displacement of the auxiliary conveyor can be hydraulic and coupled, as in the manner of servo follower with the belt drive, thereby obtaining essentially a stone-by-stone deposition of the cargo in a substantially contiguous manner. The apparatus, aside from being readily loadable, permits of total discharge of the cargo even when relatively wide fiat-bottomed hulls are employed.

To permit the vehicle to carry large-volume freight upon, for example, a return trip, the cargo-storage receptacles can have removable side walls, according to the present invention. Moreover, the main conveyor means can be protected from damage while loading by providing a shield means including a plurality of shield plates overlying the main conveyor and slidably displaceable therewith along a suitable guide means toward one end thereof for removal of these plates. Moreover, it is contemplated according to this invention to provide means for adjusting the outboard end of the transverse or auxiliary conveyor in a vertical direction so as to compensate for variable positions of the water line with respect to the hull. The adjusting means can, for example, include an extensible cable connecting to a portion of the transverse conveyor hinged to the support therefore about a substantially horizontal axis. Additionally the lift means can comprise an extension of the main conveyor means or be independent therefrom, but preferably cooperates with a further conveyor juxtaposed therewith and serving to support the bulk cargo against any tendency to roll down along the lifting means.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through a watercraft according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top-plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the ship diagrammatically showing the cargo-storage receptacles thereof in elevation;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one of these receptacles;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through the main conveyor means, drawn to an enlarged scale;

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the main conveyor means in the scale of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view diagrammatically illustrating the transverse or auxiliary conveyor means of the apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating a modification of the invention;

FIGS. 9-11 are diagrammatical transverse views similar to FIG. 3 showing the vessel in various stages of operation;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 8 showing another modification;

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram ,of the means for automatically discharging the storage receptacles of the vessel; and

FIG. 14 is a detailed view of the auxiliary conveyor means showing the mechanism for extending and retracting it over the side of the vessel.

In FIGS. 1-7 I show a vessel for the transportation and dispensing of bulk material which comprises an upwardly open flat-bottomed hull 1 having the configuration of a shell whose bow is indicated at 1' and which is provided with a rudder at its stern 1". A propelling screw together with its drive engine (not shown) can also be mounted in the stern with any necessary steering and control devices in a manner known per se. A main conveyor 2 extends centrally along the bottom of the hull below its water line 1a and between two rows of cargostorage bins best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. A plurality of such bins are arranged along each of the opposite lateral edges of the main conveyor 2. The latter comprises a pair of guide rails 3 mounted upon a pair of supporting beams 7 and forming guide means for a multiplicity of contiguous individual shield plates 4 overlying the conveyor proper. Shield plates 4 are provided with bentrod handles 5 whose downwardly projecting ends 5 constitute formations extending into the path of conveyor bars 6, a multiplicity of which are longitudinally spaced along and bridge a pair of conveyor chains 6' continuously displaceable along the vessel by a sprocket-drive means not illustrated. Chains 6' are received within the channels formed by beams 7 While a partition 2' extends between the upper and lower passes of the conveyor thus formed. When the conveyor 2 is energized, bars 6 carry the shield plates 4 to one end of the guides 3 from which they can manually be lifted and stacked, the bars thereafter conveying the bulk material along the partition 2'. The upper flanges of beams 7 are formed with lugs 7' through which pins 7 pass to engage complementary lugs 8a at the bottom of the cargo-storage receptacles or bins 8 so as to enable them to be tilted about respective axis parallel to the main conveyor means from the broken-line position illustrated in FIG. 3 to its solid line position. To this end, each of the receptacles 8 is provided with a telescopic piston-and-cylinder arrangement 9 articulated to the respective web 9' and extensible for tilting the bins. The hydraulic device 9 can be energized via electromagnetic valves, as will be described hereinafter, and are fixed to the hull 1 of the vessel at support plates 9". The main conveyor 2 is generally of the type employed in mines for the transportation of detritus.

According to a feature of this invention, each of the inwardly and upwardly open bins 8 is formed with side walls 8 removahly mounted in channel-shaped guides 8 so that these side walls can be withdrawn when the vessel is to be used for carrying cargo of large dimensions. As can be noted from FIGS. 1 and 2, the forward end of the main conveyor 2 terminates at a lifting conveyor 10, which is inclined upwardly toward the deck 10 of the vessel above the water line, adapted to deposit the bulk material onto an auxiliary conveyor means 11. Conveyor 10 can be of the belt or chain type as required although it is preferred to constitute the latter as a bucket conveyor (FIG. 2) whose compartments 10 prevent downward flow of the bulk material entrained by the conveyor.

Auxiliary conveyor 11 is rotatably mounted upon the base 12 on the deck 10' for angular displacement about a substantially vertical axis through at least 250 as indicated in FIG. 2 whereby the conveyor can discharge the bulk material over either the port or starboard side of the ship, the conveyor being swingable across the bow in this instance. It should be noted, however, that it is desirable to totally withdraw the conveyor 11 inwardly when the ship is not at its working station and for this purpose, the pivot mount 12 is arranged so that the conveyor 11 can be swung inboard (broken lines in FIG. 1). A hopper 13 directs the cargo received from conveyor 10 onto the transverse conveyor 11 which can be of the belt or chain type previously described. From FIG. 7 it can also be seen that the conveyor 11 can be a passive chute or a moving belt of bipartite construction so that the outer portion 11 of this conveyor is hinged to the inner portion 11" at 11a whereby this outer portion can be swung in a vertical direction by a cable 14' passing around a windlass 14" of an upright 14 to regulate the location of the discharge end of conveyor 11 with respect to the water level. The lift conveyor 10 is swingable about an axis 10a (FIG. 1) generally transverse to the direction of conveyor travel so that it can be pivoted into the broken-line'position illustrated, whereby the transverse conveyor 11 can clear it when it is disposed amidships. A flap 15 is pivoted at 15' at the discharge end of conveyor 2 for elevation furing unloading, this flap being closed (solid line position in FIG. 1) to prevent escape of the bulk material loading or transport.

In FIG. 8 I show a variation in which the conveyor means 2 is provided with an upwardly inclined extension 2a at its discharge end, this extension 2a forming the lift means communicating with the funnel-shaped hopper 13. The operation of the device will be immediately apparent from FIGS. 9-11, from whence it may be seen that the receptacles 5 alongside the conveyor 2 are in their lowered position for loading and that the bulk material (i.e. stone, coal, ore or the like) is received between the receptacles as well as within them. When the conveyor 2 is started, shield plates 4 are removed and the conveyor commences to carry the pieces of material to the lift means whereby it is elevated to hopper 13 for deposit over the side of the vessel by conveyor 11. The bulk material between the two rows of recep tacles is discharged (FIG. 10) the individual receptacles can be successively tilted (FIG. 11) by automatic or manual controls to dump the contents upon conveyor 2 for subsequent discharge.

Since there is some tendency for the bulk material to slide downwardly along the lift conveyor, particularly when the latter is steeply inclined (thereby permitting a reduction in the length of the vessel) and is of the belt or chain type, I provide a further conveyor 19 above the lift conveyor and preferably driven synchronously therewith via the chain-and sprocket mechanism 22 for engagement with the bulk material and support of the latter in its ascent. To this end the conveyor, which is preferably swingable about an axis 19" at its upper end and has its lower end guided in a slot 19 for selfadjustment of the gap between the conveyors, is provided with projecting formations 18 which can be protuberances, swingable flaps or the like adapted to engage the bulk material form below and convey it upwardly. By virtue of slot 19' the further conveyor 19 bears upon the bulk material and holds it against the extension 26 of conveyor 2 whose upper end 21 is disposed above the hopper of auxiliary conveyor 11. It may be noted that the swingabality of the latter permits of broadcast distribution of the bulk material over a wide area around the slip even when the latter is immobile.

In FIG. 13 I show a system for automatically dumping the contents of receptacles 8, this system comprising a sensor 40 (eg a normally closed switch) which is held open as long as material 30 is conveyed by the chain 2. When the quantity of material falls so that switch 40 closes, it energizes coil 41 to advance a stepping switch 42 whose individual cams 43 successively operate electromagnetic valves 44 associated with the respective hydraulic cylinders 9 of the receptacles. The receptacles are then tilted in succession to dump their load upon conveyor 2 (FIG. 11), each receptacle being dumped only after the amount of material carried by the conveyor has dropped. In FIG. 14 there is shown a mechanism whereby conveyor 11 can be advanced or retracted over the side of the vessel. For this purpose, a pair of guide rails 32 is provided along the lateral edges of the conveyor which is slidably mounted thereon. For the purpose of the present figure, it is assumed that only portion 11" of the auxiliary conveyor is slidable upon the rails 32, outer portion 11 being hinged to the inner portion 11" outwardly of the rails. The hydraulic cylinder 31 then can engage the conveyor for extending or retracting it along guide rails 32, this cylinder being coupled to a hydraulic pump driven in step with the conveyor belt for advancing or retracting the conveyor simultaneously with the deposition of material carried thereby.

The invention described and illustrated is believed to admit of many modifications within the ability of persons skilled in the art, all such modifications being considered within the spri-t and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for the water-borne transport and dispensing of bulk material, in combination, an elongated floating hull having a cargo area lying at least partly below the water line; at least one longitudinally extending main conveyor means in said cargo area below said water line; a plurality of cargo-storage receptacles longitudinally spaced alongside said main conveyor means; lift means connected with said main conveyor means at a discharge end thereof for elevating cargo carried by said main conveyor means above said water line; respective hydraulically openable tilting means connected with each of said receptacles for tilting same and discharging the contents thereof onto said main conveyor means for displacement thereby to said li-ft means; auxiliary conveyor means mounted on said hull and receiving said cargo fro-m said lift means and discharging it over the side of said hull; and longitudinally movable shield means overlying said main conveyor means intermediate the receptacles arranged along said opposite sides thereof, said shield means co-operating with said main conveyor means for withdrawal thereby.

2. In an apparatus for the water-borne transport and dispensing of bulk material, in combination, an elongated floating hull having a cargo area. lying at least partly below its water line; at least one longitudinally extending main conveyor means centrally disposed in said cargo area below said water line; a plurality of cargo-storage receptacles longitudinally spaced along opposi'te latenal sides of said main conveyor means; lift means connected with said main conveyor means at a discharge end thereof for elevating cargo carried by said main conveyor means above said water line; respective tilting means connected with each of said receptacles for successively tilting same and discharging the contents thereof onto said main conveyor means for displacement thereby to said lift means; longitudinally extensible auxiliary conveyor means swingably mounted on said hull and receiving said cargo from said lift means and discharging it over the side of said :hull, and longitudinally movable shield means overlying said main conveyor means intermediate the receptacles arranged along said opposite sides thereof, said shield means co-operating with said main conveyor means for withdrawal thereby.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said shield means includes a row of shield plates overlying said main conveyor means, guide means along said sides of said main conveyor means for receiving said plates with freedom of longitudinal movement, and formations interconnecting said plates and said main conveyor means to enable displacement of said plates along said guide means by said main conveyor means.

4. In an apparatus for the water-borne transport and dispensing of bulk material, in combination, an elongated fioating hull having a cargo area lying at least partly below its water line; at least one longitudinally extending main conveyor means centrally disposed in said cargo area below said water line; a plurality of cargo-storage receptacles longitudinally spaced along opposite lateral sides of said main conveyor means; lift means connected with said main conveyor means at a discharge end thereof for elevating cargo carried by said main conveyor means above said water line; respective hydraulically operable tilting means connected with each of said receptacles for successively tilting same and discharging the contents thereof onto said main conveyor means for displacement thereby to said lift means; longitudinally extensible auxiliary conveyor means swingably mounted on said hull for rotation about a substantially vertical axis between positions wherein said auxiliary conveyor means extends over the port and starboard sides of said hull, said auxiliary conveyor means receiving said cargo from said lift means and discharging it over the side of said hull, and longitudinally movable shield means overlying said main conveyor means intermediate the receptacles arranged along said opposite sides thereof, said shield means co-operating with said main conveyor means for withdrawal thereby.

5. In an apparatus for the water-borne transport and dispensing of bulk material, in combination, an elongated floating hull having a car-go area lying at least partly below its water line; at least one longitudinally extending endless main conveyor in said cargo area below said water line; a plurality of cargo-storage receptacles longitudinally spaced alongside said main conveyor; lift means connected with said main conveyor at a discharge end thereof for elevating cargo carried by said main conveyor above said water line; respective tilting means connected with each of said receptacles for tilting same and discharging the contents thereof onto said main conveyor for displacement thereby to said lift means; auxiliary conveyor means mounted on said hull and receiving said cargo from said lift means and discharging it over the side of said hull; and removable shield means overlying said endless conveyor for preventing damage thereto during loading of said cargo, said main conveyor being provided with guide means along opposite sides of said endless conveyor and said shield means includes a plurality of shield plates slidably displaceable along said guide means, said plates being provided with formations engageable with said endless conveyor for displacement thereby to an end of said guide means whereby said plates can be removed from said guide means.

6. The combination defined in claim wherein said lift means is an upwardly inclined conveyor supplied with said cargo by said main conveyor means, further comprising another conveyor spaced above said upwardly inclined conveyor and provided with an upwardly traveling pass having formations engageable with the cargo carried by said upwardly inclined conveyor means for preventing it from falling downwardly.

7. The combination defined in claim 5 wherein said receptacles Iare bins provided with removable walls transverse to said main conveyor means for accommodating cargo of large volume.

8. The combination defined in claim 5 wherein said endless conveyor includes a pair of transversely spaced chains and a multiplicity of longitudinally spaced crossbars bridging said chains and entrained thereby.

9. The combination defined in claim 5 wherein said auxiliary conveyor means is swingable amidship on said hull.

10. The combination defined in claim 5 further comprising means for varying the length of said auxiliary conveyor means in step with the displacement thereof.

References flirted by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 404,660 6/1889 Seymour 21415 512,680 1/ 1894 Clarke 214-15 625,085 5/1899 Conley 214-15 802,395 10/1905 Holland et al 214-15 974,104 10/ 1910 Doxford 214-15 1,565,875 12/1925 Von Hasse 21412 2,522,466 9/1950 Schneider 214-15 2,938,487 5/1960 Franke 21415 X 3,102,794 9/ 1963 Arnold 214-46 X FOREIGN PATENTS 597,014 5/ 1934 Germany.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR THE WATER-BORNE TRANSPORT AND DISPENSING OF BULK MATERIAL, IN COMBINATION, AN ELONGATED FLOATING HULL HAVING A CARGO AREA LYING AT LEAST PARTLY BELOW THE WATER LINE; AT LEAST ONE LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING MAIN CONVEYOR MEANS IN SAID CARGO AREA BELOW SAID WATER LINE; A PLURALITY OF CARGO-STORAGE RECEPTACLES LONGITUDINALLY SPACED ALONGSIDE SAID MAIN CONVEYOR MEANS; LIFT MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID MAIN CONVEYOR MEANS AT A DISCHARGE END THEREOF FOR ELEVATING CARGO CARRIED BY SAID MAIN CONVEYOR MEANS ABOVE SAID WATER LINE; RESPECTIVE HYDRAULICALLY OPERABLE TILTING MEANS CONNECTED WITH EACH OF SAID RECEPTACLES FOR TILTING SAME AND DISCHARGING THE CONTENTS THEREOF ONTO SAID MAIN CONVEYOR MEANS FOR DISPLACEMENT THEREBY TO SAID LIFT MEANS; AUXILIARY CONVEYOR MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID HULL AND RECEIVING SAID CARGO FROM SAID LIFT MEANS AND DISCHARGING IT OVER THE SIDE OF SAID HULL; AND LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE SHIELD MEANS OVERLYING SAID MAIN CONVEYOR MEANS INTERMEDIATE THE RECEPTACLES ARRANGED ALONG SAID OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, SAID SHIELD MEANS CO-OPERATING WITH SAID MAIN CONVEYOR MEANS FOR WITHDRAWAL THEREBY. 